In my post on seasonal changes in skincare (you can read it in full here) I talked about some of the things I change in my routine as fall hits its peak. Switch from lighter moisturizers to richer ones, for example, to counteract the drying effects of colder weather and central heating.
Arguably the most important advice in that post was the one advising to stay away from very powerful and potent active ingredients if your skin feels irritable. Strong vitamin C serums, intense acid peels, advanced retinoids – put them aside for a while until your face feels strong enough to use them again. Which could be a week later, or a month later, or it could be never. My general thought is that if the skin barrier is compromised and your face feels sensitive, dry and tight, then why (for lack of a better phrase) would you rub salt in the wound? Why apply harsh exfoliants to skin that might already be overly exfoliated? Why force your skin to go into emergency repair mode when it’s already fighting to protect itself?
It would be like having a terrible flu and thinking: I know what I need: an ice bath session followed by eight double gin and tonics and a Boxercise class.
Or something like that.
I have some passing and not-so-passing concerns that things may have gone a little overboard in terms of skincare strengths. I think it’s great that we have hugely effective products at our fingertips – products that don’t require a prescription and that don’t cost hundreds and hundreds of pounds – but there is a downside to this new level of accessibility. And that’s the fact that there’s no one standing next to the person who buys it all saying “DON’T USE ALL OF THIS IN ONE ROUTINE OR YOUR FACE WILL LITERALLY FLIGHT UP AND THEN IT WILL FALL OFF AND YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO WEAR MAKEUP FOR A YEAR.”
Alright, I’m being relatively dramatic here, but it would be pretty easy to round up a handful of readily available skin care products (acid exfoliating pads, a small amount of vitamin C, retinol in a particularly difficult to use formula) and use them like weapons. of face destruction. I feel like certain concentrations of active ingredients have increased noticeably over the years I’ve been writing about beauty, and I definitely have to be more careful now when testing products than I was in the beginning.
(I mean, yes, the fact that my face is older might have something to do with it; he’s probably sick of my shit, the daily touch-ups, and the constant “let’s try something new!”, but let’s ignore that for the sake of moment. moment.)
So: what if you want mega-effective products but not the potential irritation? What if you want to move away from your stripping pads but still want something that will give you a good shine? Or what if your skin is permanently a little sensitive? Not doing well with retinoids or vitamin C? What if, and these are most of my friends who aren’t in the beauty industry, you just don’t mind using the strongest stuff you can get, you just want to keep your skin in balance but you still want to? Do you want to be confident knowing that you have a highly effective skin care routine? Box checked?
I have some suggestions for you. I have tried and tested the following products until northth grade and feel that all of them are very gentle on the most delicate skin, but without sacrificing power or effectiveness. These are all products I use regularly in my own routine, whether my skin feels delicate or not (I don’t really subscribe to the “blow up your face” skincare method, I prefer to keep things balanced these days) and they’re brilliant things to invest in if you want a routine that still packs a punch but does so with very furry inflatable boxing gloves.
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I talk a lot about this. A very gentle daily exfoliating liquid that is applied to the skin after cleansing, it has been formulated with a blend of alpha hydroxy acids and beta hydroxy acids to make the skin glow (AHA) and decongest (BHA). The ingredients have been balanced “just right” to maximize effects and minimize irritation. If exfoliating pads typically cause excessive tingling on your skin, this is a brilliant (and very affordable) change.
Placid Daily Scrub is here*.
If anything is going to irritate me it will be an unknown vitamin C serum. In general, I tend to be pretty resistant to retinoids, but if I spray myself with a vitamin C product that doesn’t agree with my face, I’ll be as cranky as a bear in a swarm of bees all day.
There are no such problems with the very sophisticated Skin Rocks serum, “The Antioxidant”. It has more tolerable levels of vitamin C in the formula, but smart ways to increase them and reduce the risk of irritation. It’s impressive. If you previously invested in expensive high-performance antioxidant serums but found they were incompatible with your skin, then this could be just the ticket.
The antioxidant is here*
If high-potency retinoids tend to make your skin dry or itchy, be sure to introduce them very slowly, starting every few days, or even once a week. If you still can’t tolerate them but want to reap the benefits of a good retinol product, try a cream formula instead of a serum. I found that the cream acts as a kind of buffer – it almost feels like you’re putting out the fire while it’s happening, although I wish I could think of a less alarming way to explain it. Ha ha.
I get on incredibly well with RoC’s retinol products – the Retinol Correxion Moisturizer (gold bottle) is SO hydrating that it would be difficult to experience any type of dryness, tightness or flaking. (They can be common side effects of retinoid use, if not applied carefully.)
Retinol correction is here*.
You might be wondering why anyone is bothered by retinoids after all my strange warnings: they are bothered by it because it is widely considered to be the “gold standard” skin care ingredient that addresses (almost) all skin problems. the skin. Lines, cracks, uneven tone, loss of firmness, dullness – you name it, it’s been widely shown to help with it. So, it’s great to incorporate into your routine if you don’t care at all about skincare but want something that “really makes a difference.” And on that note, we also have:
Retinol + HPR is here*.
Some additional notes:
A brand I really value when skin is generally sensitive and I want to be able to trust everything on their website: Pai. I fell in love with Pai products when I was still a model and couldn’t find a single eye cream that didn’t sting the strangely hard area I constantly had under my left eye. They started with very few products and then the range gradually expanded until things like AHA masks and spot treatments appeared and none of them left my skin feeling remotely iffy.
I’m currently loving their Vitamin C Day Cream. (Actually, another great one if you usually find Vitamin C products a little irritating!)
Pai C-2 Believe Moisturizer here*.
Another current favorite that is tenuously related to this post: Avene Hyaluron Activ B3. Really highly concentrated hydration in a gentle formula.
Hyaluron Activ B3 Serum is here*.
